Page 6 - UTILITIES

A16 LOCAL
Thursday 2 November 2017

In the Caribbean…

A New Energy Hub: Hurricane Wind Force Turned into Electricity

By ir. DAMIEN RICHARDSON Gulf of Mexico. wind forces that are equal natural urban communities
ORANJESTAD - The Caribbe- In the wake of the hurricanes to and beyond 260 mph. (NUC) to begin manufac-
an does not have any truly that yearly have the poten- the Caribbean is by far the turing a way to absorb the
70% to 100% proof hurricane tial to devastate the region most oxymoronic condition wind forces from hurricanes
deterrent strategy. And as causing the Caribbean to practically speaking: beauti- and turn it into energy. Even
such many regions and spend billions in early re- ful beaches, a yachting and though this seems like a far-
coastal areas do not have covery strategies and rede- mega yacht haven, rolling fetched idea, it is ideas like
any true disaster deterrent velopment, it is time for the green hills, fantastic cultural this that need to start pro-
strategy for their country. Caribbean to no longer ac- experiences while simultane- liferating our Caribbean in-
New York has commissioned cept hurricane destruction ously knowing that the area novative context. New York
BIG Architects to work out and devastation as a norm. is prone to hurricanes and has their Dryline, Venice has
“The Dryline” which is slated Richard Branson is proposing other natural disasters that their MOSE Project, England
to cost an estimated $1 bil- a post world war II Marshall have the potential to dev- has their Swansea bay tid-
lion, to become New Yorks Plan for the Caribbean real- astate, assault, and ravish al dam, and the Maldives
answer to the Manhattan izing the traumatic level of the region. It is time that the have the idea to buy land
flood prone problem that is a change is a real and present devastation that affected Caribbean begins a repro- on other countries, what
yearly threat from storm wa- agent that is a player in the every level of our society. gramming process. Within does the Caribbean have
ter tidal changes. Italy, Ven- future of any and all regions Reading and looking at the this reprogramming process as its future Caribbean vic-
ice, is developing a $6.15 of the world. multiple organizations and we are to consider the cost tory model? As such, I have
billion water protection infra- Yearly the Caribbean can entities who have prepro- involved in continuing on the been so bold as to make a
structure called “MOSE proj- expect anywhere between gramed strategies waiting coarse the Caribbean is on suggestion about a possible
ect”, to protect its city from 15 to 25 hurricane storms for the aftermath of the Ca- now opposed to making a future scenario for the Carib-
potential devastating tidal with at least 2 to 5 devel- ribbean’s hurricanes makes decision as a region of na- bean. I am an Architectural
changes. And England is in- oping in major hurricanes. it very difficult for us to imag- tions to restructure our vision Engineer, an instructor at
novating new technology in The National Oceanic and ine any alternative scenarios to facilitate a bold new path the University of St. Maarten,
developing a tidal change Atmospheric Administration for the Caribbean’s yearly forward. giving courses on a subject
generator at Swansea bay (NOAA) Climate Prediction condition. Today the Caribbean is called Caribbean Metro-
with a potential cost of $1.7 Center (CPC) work together Solution Based Innovative guaranteed to have a yearly politan Architecture (CMA),
billion. Based on the global to assist with formulating the Thinking (SBIT) is what must hurricane recovery budget which deals with this sub-
warming factor, the Mal- predictions of the yearly hur- drive the future of the Ca- of any were between $5 bil- ject matter from a scenario
dives is engaged in an emer- ricanes. The outlook is pro- ribbean, as the Caribbean lion to $12 billion depending that presupposes a supe-
gency population relocation duced in collaboration with progress forward. Even be- on the past year that is con- rior energy efficient Carib-
strategy with intentions to hurricane experts from the fore the time of the native Ca- sidered, not including the bean. The course evaluates
buy lands in other nearby National Hurricane Center ribbean residents to our pres- cost attributed to the lose of my concept that looks ata
countries, to facilitate the (NHC) and the Hurricane ent cultural population mix, human lives. Attention need strategy that creates and
relocation of a majority of Research Division (HRD). The the Caribbean has always to be given to developing incorporates a Passive Ener-
its population (over 350,000) Atlantic hurricane region been a place riddled with proactive tools to not only gy Generator Shield (PEGS)
seeing the consistent rise includes the North Atlantic the expectation of massive predict hurricanes, but also around islands that would
in the sea level. Climate Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and hurricane conditions, with to innovate tools and new have the potential to absorb
hurricane wind forces and
turn that wind into usable
energy. For now this scenar-
io is in a very early research
stage, but with funding and
the proper backing, PEGS
as a energy and natural ur-
ban recovery strategy can
quickly become one of the
Caribbean regions most pro-
active hurricane prepared-
ness strategies to date.
Living in a Caribbean that
has PEGS as its norm means
having a region prepared
and excited about the arriv-
al of hurricane season. Hav-
ing a world looking forward
to regional and international
Caribbean news reports that
represent record-breaking
megawatt (MW) and giga-
watt (GW) energy spikes
from the Caribbean PEGS. A
bold new Caribbean were
the oxymoronic conditions
of the past would be equal
to having had a bad dream.
*The views, opinions and
positions expressed by the
author do not necessarily
reflect the views, opinions
or positions of The Aruba to-
day Newspaper, Caribbean
Speed Printers, or any em-
ployee thereof.q